If you are anything like me, putting your boat away for the winter is not only depressing, it's a huge pain in the neck. Not only do we have to deal with the prospect of saying goodbye to those lovely long, lazy days on the ...read more which will yield to yet another interminable Winter, but we have to face the miserable chores associated with winterizing our best friend...

If I could afford it, I'd fly my boat down to Florida for the Winter to live with my parents, but I can't. And, I have a sneaking suspicion that it would abandon me and just stay down there once it got a taste of the nightlife and realized it didn't have to freeze its cleats off for eight months every year. Early on, I spared no expense and had it shrink wrapped and filed into my local marina's boat mausoleum, which worked very well. Pretty soon however, my wife started hinting that I should consider downsizing (to a canoe) if we had to spend that much money every year to keep my boat happy. Initially, I considered divorce, but have since forgiven her for her callous lack of respect for the very special bond between a boater and his/her boat as I had a look at the costs and realized she was right; If I stored the boat on my own lot and covered it myself, I could save about $600 per year, all in.

In the fall of 2012, by chance on a business trip, I sat down next to a woman on the plane and we started chatting, I learned that she was the president of a company that made boat shelters. As I regaled her with my tales of woe around the whole subject of boat storage, she smiled knowingly, saying that her father had had just the same sort of experiences years earlier and had decided to come up with a definitive solution. Her dad spent a number of years trying and testing materials and methods to make a shelter that was easy to assemble, sturdy enough to do the job, not take up a whole bunch of space in the off season, and one that could be reused year over year. The result is a patented technology that is really quite ingenious.

My new friend showed me the Navigloo web site. Since I was quite impressed with what I saw, I decided to take a gamble and see if Navigloo would work as advertised. I bought the product through iboats.com and it was shipped in just a couple of days. I opened the box which had everything neatly packed and even included a DVD to help those of us who can't read instructions. As it turns out, I didn't need it though because the instructions were clear and easy to follow. I had the whole thing up, including the enormous tarp on and tied in about three hours. I know that this fall, it will take me a lot less time since I really got the hang of setting it up quickly.

The system uses lightweight extruded PVC struts that cleverly telescope to fit any shape and size of boat and these struts form all of the superstructure. The struts are adjustable to fit whatever part of the system you are building and plastic pins fix the length very solidly. The center beam (also made of the same struts) has 4 or more posts in fitted bases, and the posts are made fast by straps that quickly fasten and form a very rigid structure. Struts branch off the main beam all along the boat, laying on the gunnels to form a cage for the tarp to lie on.

I managed to pull the tarp over the whole thing myself, but this year I'm calling a friend as it was a bit of work that would be much easier with another person. Knitting the whole thing together underneath the boat with the ropes they provide would also be faster with a partner.

The boat is parked well behind the house and garage; out of sight. I check on it weekly to see how the Navigloo is holding up. The tarp was as tight and taut as it was the day I'd tied it.

I was also impressed in the spring when I took the system down. Half an hour after I started, the whole thing was in the handy bag provided to store it in, and the tarp still had the fold lines from its original packing!

When I called my Navigloo friend to let them know just how pleased I was with their product, they asked me if I'd share my experiences in this article. I am more than glad to do so because I've finally found something that actually does what it says it will do - and brilliantly.

This article provided by Navigloo and written by their customer Mark Dowdell, Ontario, Canada.read less

Navigloo - Fishing Boat & Runabout Set up (Video)

A video presentation on setting up a Navigloo shelter system for a fishing and runabout boat. ...read more

Video Transcript

Before beginning assembly it is imperative that an inventory of the parts be taken to ensure that no parts are missing. That the instruction manual is read thoroughly and that all the steps are fully understood. For a list of components consult the instruction guide. Assembly consists of four basic steps:

Step one - installation of vertical posts with bases. Step two - installation of horizontal beams. Step three - installation of vertical posts without bases. Step four - installation of lateral posts.

Step one - installation of vertical posts with bases. Place one of the bases on the floor at one end of the boat. Insert narrower section of one of the AB posts into the base. Adjust the vertical post to a height of 78 inches. Make sure that there is at least a 6 inch overlap of part A over part B and then secure the post with a metal pin. Insert part C into the top of this vertical post and secure it with a plastic pin.

Now you must stabilize the vertical post using four straps. To assemble the straps, the teeth of the clamp on part GI must be facing upward and GII must be inserted from the bottom to prevent GI from slipping off GII. To secure the post with the straps, start by attaching the cara binders or climbing the hooks of GII parts to four opposing anchor points on the boat. And then you can attach the other end of each of the straps to the islets on part C at the top of the vertical post. The four straps must be installed in opposing directions in order to achieve the best possible stability for the vertical post.

The straps can be tightened by pulling down on the loose end of the straps and this should be done from inside the boat as it is much simpler and easier to do this way. Repeat this process for the second vertical post at the other end of the boat.

Step two- the horizontal post. Insert one of the AB tubes through part C at the top of each of the vertical posts. You can now bridge the gap between the two vertical posts with A and B tubes, securing them with plastic pins and making sure that the A and B parts of each are overlapped by at least 6 inches. Make sure that the horizontal beam that you have just created is level.

Step three - installing the vertical posts without bases. You could now install the other vertical posts without bases as in step one, making sure they are evenly spaced according to the dimensions of your boat. These posts are also secured at the appropriate height of 78 inches with mental pins. At the end of this step you should have a four vertical support posts and therefore four metal pins installed.

You must now stabilize the new vertical posts using two straps per post. Be careful, these straps must be attached to the islets in part C at the top of the vertical posts only and be solidly attached to opposing anchor points on the boat and tightened until an adequate tension is reached.

Now that the frame is solidly supported by all 12 straps, insert one of the flexible unions into one end of the horizontal beam and secure it with a plastic pin. Now insert the other end of the flexible union in an ABR tube and secure it with a plastic pin. Adjust the ABR tube so that it rests on the floor of the boat at as close to a 90° angle as possible and secure it with a plastic pin. Repeat this process at the other end of the boat.

Step four – installing lateral connectors. First assemble the tubes for your lateral connectors. Insert the floor casing protectors part R into the B section the narrower of the two parts of the AB tube. Then insert the same end of the tube into a black foam protector part H. This step helps to protect the edges of the boat as well as the tarpaulin.

At this point you could hook up the remaining part C onto the horizontal beam and make sure they are evenly spaced by pairs. Insert the part C which are grouped into pairs along the horizontal beam into the wider end of each of the padded tubes. Secure them with plastic pins and then rest the padded ends of the tubes on the edge of the boat.

You have now completed the installation of your Navigloo frame. All that’s left is to cover the structure with your Navigloo tarpaulin. And tie it down securely using the ropes provided for this purpose.

It is also strongly recommended that an additional length of rope be belted around the hull of the boat over the tarp to hold it securely in place during the storage period. read less

Navigloo - Pontoon boat set up (Video)

A video presentation on setting up a Navigloo shelter for a pontoon boat. ...read more

Video Transcript

Before beginning assembly, it is imperative that an inventory of the parts be taken to ensure that no parts are missing. That the instruction manual is read thoroughly and that all the steps are fully understood. For a list of components consult the instruction guide. Assembly consists of four basic steps.

Step one - installation of vertical posts with bases. Step two - installation of horizontal beams. Step three - installation of vertical posts without bases. Step four - installation of lateral posts.

Step one - installation of vertical posts with bases. Place one of the bases on the floor at one end of the boat. Insert narrower section of one of the AB posts into the base. If it is necessary for you to place the base on one of the seat cushions, be sure to adequately protect the seat cushion with a swatch of carpet. Adjust the vertical post to a height of 78 inches. Make sure that there is at least a 6 inch overlap of part A over part B and then secure the post with a metal pin. Insert part C into the top of this vertical post and secure it with a plastic pin.

Now you must stabilize the vertical post using four straps. To assemble the straps, the teeth of the clamp on part GI must be facing upward and GII must be inserted from the bottom to prevent GI from slipping off GII. To secure the post with the straps, start by attaching the cara binders or climbing the hooks of GII parts to four opposing anchor points on the boat. And then you can attach the other end of each of the straps to the islets on part C at the top of the vertical post. The four straps must be installed in opposing directions in order to achieve the best possible stability for the vertical post.

The straps can be tightened by pulling down on the loose end of the straps and this should be done from inside the boat as it is much simpler and easier to do this way. Repeat this process for the second vertical post at the other end of the boat.

Step two- the horizontal post. Insert one of the AB tubes through part C at the top of each of the vertical posts. You can now bridge the gap between the two vertical posts with A and B tubes, securing them with plastic pins and making sure that the A and B parts of each are overlapped by at least 6 inches. Make sure that the horizontal beam that you have just created is level.

Step three - installing the vertical posts without bases. You could now install the other vertical posts without bases as in step one, making sure they are evenly spaced according to the dimensions of your boat. These posts are also secured at the appropriate height of 78 inches with mental pins. At the end of this step you should have a four vertical support posts and therefore four metal pins installed.

You must now stabilize the new vertical posts using two straps per post. Be careful, these straps must be attached to the islets in part C at the top of the vertical posts only and be solidly attached to opposing anchor points on the boat and tightened until an adequate tension is reached.

Now that the frame is solidly supported by all 12 straps, insert one of the flexible unions into one end of the horizontal beam and secure it with a plastic pin. Now insert the other end of the flexible union in an ABR tube and secure it with a plastic pin. Adjust the ABR tube so that it rests on the floor of the boat at as close to a 90° angle as possible and secure it with a plastic pin. Repeat this process at the other end of the boat. Once this is done, you should have a horizontal beam that runs the entire length of the boat as well as a total of six vertical posts.

Step four – installing lateral connectors. First assemble the tubes for your lateral connectors. Insert the floor casing protectors part R into the B section the narrower of the two parts of the AB tube. Then insert the same end of the tube into a black foam protector part H. This step helps to protect the edges of the boat as well as the tarpaulin. The number of lateral connectors is proportional to the length of the boat.

At this point you could hook up the remaining part C onto the horizontal beam and make sure they are evenly spaced by pairs. Insert the part C which are grouped into pairs along the horizontal beam into the wider end of each of the padded tubes. Secure them with plastic pins and then rest the padded ends of the tubes on the edge of the boat.

You have now completed the installation of your Navigloo frame. All that’s left is to cover the structure with your Navigloo tarpaulin. And tie it down securely using the ropes provided for this purpose.

It is also strongly recommended that an additional length of rope be belted around the hull of the boat over the tarp to hold it securely in place during the... read less